Teresa Kearney
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Teresa Kearney (Mother Kevin)
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
(1875–1957) was a teacher, Franciscan Sister, and missionary, who founded a new Franciscan order. Born in Arklow, Ireland on April 28, 1875, she became a Junior Assistant Mistress at 17 and taught in Essex, England. On December 2, 1902, she left to begin missionary work in Nsambya, Uganda, working as a Franciscan Sister of Saint Mary's Abbey, Mill Hill, London. In 1952 Kearney founded the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa. Kearney's work in East Africa resulted in the formation of multiple hospitals and training of nurses throughout the region. Her name serves as the root of the word ''Kevina'', which means "hospital" or "charity institute" in Uganda. On November 6, 2016, the
Roman Catholic Diocese of Lugazi The Roman Catholic Diocese of Lugazi ( la, Lugasien(sis)) is a diocese located in the city of Lugazi in the ecclesiastical province of Kampala in Uganda. History * November 30, 1996: Established as Diocese of Lugazi from the Metropolitan Archdi ...
opened her formal
beatification Beatification (from Latin ''beatus'', "blessed" and ''facere'', "to make”) is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a deceased person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in their nam ...
process, securing her the title
Servant of God "Servant of God" is a title used in the Catholic Church to indicate that an individual is on the first step toward possible canonization as a saint. Terminology The expression "servant of God" appears nine times in the Bible, the first five in th ...
.


Early life


Family

Teresa Kearney was born in Knockenrahan, Arklow, County Wicklow, on April 28, 1875 as the third daughter of farmer Michael Kearney and Teresa Kearney. Three months prior to Kearney's birth, her father died in an accident. Following his death, Kearney's mother remarried and had three more children. When Kearney was ten years old, her mother died. Her maternal grandmother, Grannie Grenell, then raised Kearney in Curranstown, County Wicklow. Grannie Grenell had a profound impact on Kearny's spiritual beliefs and deep faith. When Kearney was 17, Grannie Grenell died.


Education

Kearney attended local convent school in
Arklow Arklow (; ; , ) is a town in County Wicklow on the southeast coast of Ireland. The town is overlooked by Ballymoyle Hill. It was founded by the Vikings in the ninth century. Arklow was the site of one of the bloodiest battles of the 1798 re ...
following her mother's death. In 1889, following her grandmother's death, Kearney went to convent of Mercy at Rathdrum, to train as an assistant teacher. She did not have the finances to pay for training, and became a Junior Assistant Mistress. A year later, she went to teach in a school run by the Sisters of Charity in Essex.


Career


Early work

Kearney became a Junior Assistant Mistress at 17 and taught in Essex, England.


Missionary work

Following the death of her grandmother, Kearney turned toward thoughts of religious life. She believed that God was calling her to be a sister, and she applied for admission to the ''Franciscan Missionary Sisters of the Five Wounds'' at Mill Hill, London. In 1895, Kearney entered St Mary's Abbey, Mill Hill, London. On April 21, 1898 she took the name Sister Mary Kevin of the Sacred Passion. Her motto was "For Thee, Lord." She volunteered to work with African Americans in London. She waited three years for a posting to the American mission, but when the call from a foreign mission came, it came from Africa.


Path to Uganda

On December 3, 1902, Kearney and five other sisters left
London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...
for Nsambya, Uganda. They were chosen at the request of Bishop Hanlon of the
Mill Hill Fathers The Mill Hill Missionaries (MHM), officially known as the Saint Joseph's Missionary Society of Mill Hill ( la, Societas Missionariorum S. Ioseph de Mill Hill), is a Catholic Church, Catholic society of apostolic life founded in 1866 by Herbert Alf ...
. The sisters arrived on January 15, 1903 and established a dispensary and school in the
Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Districts of Uganda, Central Region, inclu ...
. "Their task was to care for the women and girls and to further weaken the association of Catholicism with French missionaries and Protestantism with British missionaries in the then British Protectorate." Among the sisters were three Irish, one American, one English, and one Scottish woman. Kearney started her first clinic under a mango tree near the convent. The first seven years of missionary work were tough for the sisters. Various diseases, from smallpox to malaria, ravaged
Buganda Buganda is a Bantu peoples, Bantu kingdom within Uganda. The kingdom of the Baganda, Baganda people, Buganda is the largest of the traditional kingdoms in present-day East Africa, consisting of Buganda's Districts of Uganda, Central Region, inclu ...
. The infant mortality rate was also relatively high due to the high frequency of maternal deaths. In 1906, Kearney expanded the missionary and set up a hospital in Nagalama, twenty-three miles away. Following Sister Paul's illness and return to the United States in 1910, Kearney was appointed the new superior of the convent. In 1913, three more sisters arrived, which allowed Kearney to establish a third mission station in Kamuli,
Busoga Busoga ( Lusoga: Obwakyabazinga bwa Busoga) is a kingdom and one of four constitutional monarchies in present-day Uganda. The kingdom is a cultural institution which promotes popular participation and unity among the people of the region throu ...
. All three stations focused on medicine and education for the local population with a focus on primary and secondary education, training of nurses, and the founding of clinics, hospitals and orphanages.


Role in World War 1

During World War 1, the
Nsambya Nsambya is a hill in the center of Kampala, the capital and largest city in Uganda. The name also refers to the upscale and middle-class neighborhoods that have been developed on the hill and its slopes. Location Nsambya is located approximate ...
Hospital was used to treat the Native Carrier Corp, porters for European troops. At times, Kearney was outraged by the treatment Europeans gave to the African porters. She worked to uphold the rights of African people caught up in the European war. On December 25, 1918 Kearney was awarded the
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
, Member of Order of British Empire, for her services to the wounded during the war years.


Promotion of female education

Kearney is credited for promoting higher education in Catholic African women in her mission. In 1923, she founded the Little Sisters of St. Francis, a community of African nuns for teaching and nursing. This program started with only eight local girls. A year later, Kearney and Dr. Evelyn Connolly, a lay missionary, founded a nursing and midwifery school in Nsambya. Their goal was to promote the education of women throughout Uganda.


Creation of Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa

In September 1928, Kearney returned to England to establish a novitiate exclusively for training sisters for African missions. The novitiate was officially opened in 1929 in Holme Hall, Yorkshire. Many women from England, Scotland and Ireland travelled to Holme Hall to assist the missionary efforts. This created a shortage for the Mill Hill Fathers, who also needed sisters for their school in England and American missions. Upon realization of this divide, Kearney and the Mill Hill Fathers broke off from each other. On June 9, 1952 the new congregation of the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa was founded by Kearney. Kearney was appointed the first superior-general. Mount Oliver, Dundalk, became the motherhouse for this new congregation. With the formation of the FMSA, Kearney expanded the missionary work to Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, the US, Scotland, and South Africa.


Retirement

Kearney retired in 1955 at age 80. During retirement, she was appointed Superior of a convent in Boston, Mass. and raised funds for African projects. She travelled and talked to donors to garner support for projects in Africa.


Death

On October 17, 1957, Kearney died at the age of 82 in
Brighton, Massachusetts Brighton is a Municipal annexation in the United States, former town and current Neighborhoods in Boston, neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located in the northwestern corner of the city. It is named after the English city of ...
. Her remains were flown to Ireland and buried at Mount Oliver. Ugandan Catholics rallied to have her body flown to Uganda to be buried. On December 3, 1957, Kearney's body was buried in the cemetery at Nkokonjeru, the motherhouse of the Little Sisters of St. Francis.


Legacy

Kearney's legacy is evident today. In Uganda, the word ''Kevina'' means "hospital" or "charitable institute". The Mother Kevin Postgraduate Medical School was named after Mother Kevin (Teresa Kearney). The Little Sisters of St. Francis currently has over 500 members throughout Africa, while the Franciscan Missionary Sisters for Africa currently works in Uganda, Kenya, Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.


Awards

In 1918, Kearney was made Member of the Order of the British Empire (
MBE Mbe may refer to: * Mbé, a town in the Republic of the Congo * Mbe Mountains Community Forest, in Nigeria * Mbe language, a language of Nigeria * Mbe' language, language of Cameroon * ''mbe'', ISO 639 code for the extinct Molala language Molal ...
) for her work during the war. In 1955 she received Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (
CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...
), as well as Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (OBE). In 1955, she was also awarded the Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice from Pious XI, for her Catholic work in Uganda.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Kearney, Teresa Irish Franciscans Franciscan missionaries Christian medical missionaries Female Christian missionaries Irish Roman Catholic missionaries British Roman Catholic missionaries Roman Catholic missionaries in Uganda Commanders of the Order of the British Empire